Embiid has surgery on broken foot

Embiid has surgery on broken foot

<p>Joel Embiid underwent surgery on his broken foot Friday and will begin rehab soon, according to the doctor who performed the procedure on the top NBA Draft prospect.</p>

(SportsNetwork.com) - Joel Embiid underwent surgery on his broken foot Friday and will begin rehab soon, according to the doctor who performed the procedure on the top NBA Draft prospect.

Dr. Richard Ferkel, in a statement obtained by media outlets, said two screws were inserted into the navicular bone in Embiid's right foot to fix a stress fracture.

The injury was revealed Thursday, just a week before the 7-foot center from Kansas was projected to be a top-three pick in the draft.

"The surgery went very well and I'm confident that after appropriate healing he will be able to return to NBA basketball," Ferkel said. "Joel tolerated the surgery without difficulty and will begin his rehabilitation in the near future."

Embiid will not attend the draft in New York on Thursday. More than that, his injury should send ripples through the first round.

He could have been picked No. 1 by Cleveland -- or at worst in the second or third spot by Milwaukee or Philadelphia, according to most observers.

The freshman from Cameroon missed Kansas' final two regular season games, the Big 12 Tournament and the NCAA Tournament because of a stress fracture in his lower back.

Still, he broke the Jayhawks' freshman record with 72 blocked shots and was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. He averaged 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in 28 games while helping the Jayhawks to the Big 12 regular-season crown.